Ezekiel Prophesies Against the Burning Forest of the Southby emmanuel_higgins
20:48Ezekiel 20:48
And all flesh shall see that I the LORD have kindled it: it shall not be quenched.
When the Lord kindles a fire and declares it shall not be quenched, no outside power puts it out but it is left to burn until it has entirely devoured what it preys upon and accomplished its work, not that it burns forever without end. It burns everything, green tree and dry tree alike, with all faces from the south to the north scorched therein, so that all flesh sees and knows that the Lord Himself kindled it. It stands among the dreadful curses God connects with disobedience to and profaning of the Sabbath, in a history where idolatry joined with Sabbath desecration and wandering from God brought trouble, exile and the destruction of Jerusalem. Unquenchable fire is the symbol of complete consumption and total destruction, proving that the wicked are utterly destroyed rather than endlessly tormented, and denying their immortality and eternal burning or preservation alive. It gives the true sense of Christ's words about the fire that is not quenched, and applies to the destruction of the wicked at His coming, which all people will see that the Lord has brought.
Fire's Meaning and Setting
When the Lord kindles a fire and declares it shall not be quenched, no outside power puts it out but it is left to burn on until it has entirely devoured everything it preys upon and has accomplished its work and done its office-work, not that it burns forever without end. Not quenched does not mean burning without end or preservation alive, but not being stopped or put out before it consumes what it was sent to destroy and fulfills the purpose for which it was kindled, after which it goes out. Unquenchable fire is therefore the symbol of complete consumption and total destruction, and this gives the true sense of Christ's words about the fire that is not quenched.
The fire burns everything, every green tree and every dry tree, with all faces from the south to the north burned therein as it spreads across the land, and all flesh sees and recognizes that the Lord Himself kindled it. That judgment kindled by the Lord is visible to all people and will not be extinguished before its work is complete, and all people recognize Him as the one who brought it. Its threatened fulfillment is real, not merely figurative.
The language is figurative for sore calamities upon the land called the forest of the south field, burning through all faces from south to north. The calamities it describes fell upon that generation, that generation perished long ago and those judgments ceased and ended long ago.
The verse stands in Ezekiel's account of the transgressions that brought Israel into trouble and exile and dispersion and Jerusalem's destruction. Idolatry joined with Sabbath desecration brought the people into trouble and exile, for Israel wandered from God, forgot His Sabbath and turned to idolatry and to pagan times, and in consequence Jerusalem was destroyed.
Sabbath Apostasy and Judgment
Disobedience to the Sabbath and profaning of it bring dreadful curses and judgment from God, which reveals the importance of the Sabbath and the punishment for breaking it. God made the Sabbath a sign for Israel so that they might know the Lord who sanctifies them and know that their God is the Creator, not as a mark imposed because of their unrighteousness and that of their fathers. The Lord kindles a fire that shall not be quenched and all people shall recognize that He kindled it, and in this connection the chapter is profitable for understanding how departing from God leads to false worship. The chapter belongs to the Dark Ages of the Jewish church, a time of apostasy into idolatry in which the faithful were persecuted and which was followed by the captivity of the Jews, forming the parallel to the Dark Ages of the Christian church when the apostate church persecuted and slew the conscientious.
Final Destruction of Wicked
Sin must be forgiven or it will be consumed, for the Lord Himself kindles a fire of judgment that all flesh shall see to be His doing and that shall not be extinguished. That fire of judgment kindled by the Lord will be visible to all people and will not be put out by any outside power. Unquenchable fire is the symbol of complete consumption and total destruction, not of endless burning or eternal torment. It continues until what it burns is consumed, not forever as an ongoing process of torment, but is left to burn on till it has entirely devoured everything it preys upon, every green tree and every dry tree, with all faces from the south to the north burned therein, while all flesh sees that the Lord kindled it. An unquenched fire is one that cannot be put out before it has consumed what it burns.
Not quenched does not mean burning forever without end; it means not put out before it consumes what it is preying upon. The fire continues until it devours and burns up everything it kindles upon and accomplishes the purpose for which it was kindled, doing its office-work, and then it goes out. So the verse proves the complete destruction of the wicked rather than their eternal burning, eternal torture, or eternal preservation alive, and denies their immortality, showing that the wicked are utterly destroyed rather than endlessly tormented. It gives the true sense of Christ's words about the fire that is not quenched. The verse applies to the destruction of the wicked at Christ's coming, describing a fire kindled by the Lord that spreads across the land, burns the wicked, and cannot be quenched before its work is complete, so that all people will see that the Lord has brought this judgment, and its threatened fulfillment is real, not merely figurative.
When the Lord kindles a fire and declares it shall not be quenched, no outside power puts it out but it is left to burn until it has entirely devoured what it preys upon and accomplished its work, not that it burns forever without end. It burns everything, green tree and dry tree alike, with all faces from the south to the north scorched therein, so that all flesh sees and knows that the Lord Himself kindled it. It stands among the dreadful curses God connects with disobedience to and profaning of the Sabbath, in a history where idolatry joined with Sabbath desecration and wandering from God brought trouble, exile and the destruction of Jerusalem. Unquenchable fire is the symbol of complete consumption and total destruction, proving that the wicked are utterly destroyed rather than endlessly tormented, and denying their immortality and eternal burning or preservation alive. It gives the true sense of Christ's words about the fire that is not quenched, and applies to the destruction of the wicked at His coming, which all people will see that the Lord has brought.
Fire's Meaning and Setting
When the Lord kindles a fire and declares it shall not be quenched, no outside power puts it out but it is left to burn on until it has entirely devoured everything it preys upon and has accomplished its work and done its office-work, not that it burns forever without end. Not quenched does not mean burning without end or preservation alive, but not being stopped or put out before it consumes what it was sent to destroy and fulfills the purpose for which it was kindled, after which it goes out. Unquenchable fire is therefore the symbol of complete consumption and total destruction, and this gives the true sense of Christ's words about the fire that is not quenched.
The fire burns everything, every green tree and every dry tree, with all faces from the south to the north burned therein as it spreads across the land, and all flesh sees and recognizes that the Lord Himself kindled it. That judgment kindled by the Lord is visible to all people and will not be extinguished before its work is complete, and all people recognize Him as the one who brought it. Its threatened fulfillment is real, not merely figurative.
The language is figurative for sore calamities upon the land called the forest of the south field, burning through all faces from south to north. The calamities it describes fell upon that generation, that generation perished long ago and those judgments ceased and ended long ago.
The verse stands in Ezekiel's account of the transgressions that brought Israel into trouble and exile and dispersion and Jerusalem's destruction. Idolatry joined with Sabbath desecration brought the people into trouble and exile, for Israel wandered from God, forgot His Sabbath and turned to idolatry and to pagan times, and in consequence Jerusalem was destroyed.
Sabbath Apostasy and Judgment
Disobedience to the Sabbath and profaning of it bring dreadful curses and judgment from God, which reveals the importance of the Sabbath and the punishment for breaking it. God made the Sabbath a sign for Israel so that they might know the Lord who sanctifies them and know that their God is the Creator, not as a mark imposed because of their unrighteousness and that of their fathers. The Lord kindles a fire that shall not be quenched and all people shall recognize that He kindled it, and in this connection the chapter is profitable for understanding how departing from God leads to false worship. The chapter belongs to the Dark Ages of the Jewish church, a time of apostasy into idolatry in which the faithful were persecuted and which was followed by the captivity of the Jews, forming the parallel to the Dark Ages of the Christian church when the apostate church persecuted and slew the conscientious.
Final Destruction of Wicked
Sin must be forgiven or it will be consumed, for the Lord Himself kindles a fire of judgment that all flesh shall see to be His doing and that shall not be extinguished. That fire of judgment kindled by the Lord will be visible to all people and will not be put out by any outside power. Unquenchable fire is the symbol of complete consumption and total destruction, not of endless burning or eternal torment. It continues until what it burns is consumed, not forever as an ongoing process of torment, but is left to burn on till it has entirely devoured everything it preys upon, every green tree and every dry tree, with all faces from the south to the north burned therein, while all flesh sees that the Lord kindled it. An unquenched fire is one that cannot be put out before it has consumed what it burns.
Not quenched does not mean burning forever without end; it means not put out before it consumes what it is preying upon. The fire continues until it devours and burns up everything it kindles upon and accomplishes the purpose for which it was kindled, doing its office-work, and then it goes out. So the verse proves the complete destruction of the wicked rather than their eternal burning, eternal torture, or eternal preservation alive, and denies their immortality, showing that the wicked are utterly destroyed rather than endlessly tormented. It gives the true sense of Christ's words about the fire that is not quenched. The verse applies to the destruction of the wicked at Christ's coming, describing a fire kindled by the Lord that spreads across the land, burns the wicked, and cannot be quenched before its work is complete, so that all people will see that the Lord has brought this judgment, and its threatened fulfillment is real, not merely figurative.